Back To You
by stirringofmysoul
Summary: Sydney Sage left behind everything and everyone she knew when she became an ex-Alchemist. It's now four years later and her life is nothing like she imagined it would be. When she reunites with a familiar face all the secrets she's been keeping begin to rise to the surface causing her to question the choices she's made.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Sydney gasped, digging her nails into the back of his shirt as his hips rutted against hers. She could feel his lips form a smirk against the spot he was currently kissing on her neck.

Typical Adrian.

But there was nothing typical about the current situation. Never in a million years did Sydney ever think she'd be about to lose her virginity to a vampire. Then again she never thought she'd be involved in the myriad of adventures that had occurred over the few months. Vampire Hunters. Witches. Renegade Alchemists.

And him.

Sometimes she barely recognized her life.

"Hey, you…" Adrian whispered, snapping Sydney back to the present moment.

She looked up and saw his green eyes looking down at her with a mix of lust and adoration. "Stop thinking so much," he whispered.

"Habit," she whispered back and leaned up to press her lips to his. This time it was Adrian who gasped from the fervor of the moment.

Her fingers, in their usual businesslike manner, deftly undid the buttons on his shirt. Doing this in an orderly manner made it less scary. As she worked the fabric away from his chest he let his fingertips gently pull on the hem of her plain grey blouse. She pushed his shirt over his shoulders and away from his body, her hands now trailing down his firm bare chest, a chest that had been the star of more daydreams than she cared to admit. He sighed at her touch and tugged a little more forcefully on the fabric, ever eager. Back to the task at hand, she pulled back long enough to allow him to slip her blouse up and over her head and toss it on top of his own discarded shirt.

He pressed his forehead to hers, both of them breathing heavily now, shaking with a nervous energy. She smiled as she looked into his eyes and kissed him again, much longer this time. She slowly memorized every inch of his mouth with her tongue. Adrian kissed her back with zeal, wrapping one arm around her back and unhooking the clasp on her bra.

"Beautiful," he murmured as he drank in the sight of her partially naked beside him. She was absolutely breathtaking.

Sydney's cheeks flushed at his words. She wasn't used to hearing things like that. Her palms traced each part of his body until her hand rested on the button on his pants. His hardness against her leg was obvious, but she wasn't experienced enough to know what she should do. All the reading in the world couldn't prepare her for this actual moment. She looked up at him and bit her lip. She looked so fucking adorable Adrian couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Are you making fun of me?" Sydney asked, sticking her lip out slightly.

"Of course not," he assured her, gently kissing the pout. He rested his hand on top of hers and helped her unsnap the button and then pull on the zipper.

A moan of sheer pleasure escaped from his throat and filled Sydney with confidence as she grasped him in her palm. Her lips found his again as she gently stroked. Adrian wanted her to feel as good as he did. Slowly, but surely he guided his hand under her skirt, gently caressing her legs and then brushing lightly against her panties. Sydney let out a teeny whimper, giving him the go ahead. He pinched the elastic band between his fingers and pulled them down past her legs and off completely. As his digit entered her she purred softly. She rolled her hips as he slowly opened her up. He trailed his free hand up to her chest, gently massaging her breasts with his palm, rubbing the pad of his thumb over the hardening nipple. They lay there for awhile longer, kissing, murmuring, and touching the other, totally content in these simple gestures.

"Need you…" he mumbled, nibbling gently on her upper lip as he felt himself starting to lose control.

Sydney whimpered and mumbled back, "Need you too…" She suckled gently on his lip as well.

His hand stilled and then hers. They finished disrobing one another, with much more urgency this time, the air suddenly filled with a tornado of clothing. He looked down at her and she slowly opened her eyes to look up at him.

He slid his hands along her arms and gently laced their fingers together as he slipped inside of her, never breaking her gaze. Sydney let out a groan as he gave her time to adjust to the feeling of him. Once she had gotten her bearings he leaned down to kiss her as he slowly built up a rhythm for them.

It didn't take long for Sydney to meet him each and every time. It was like they had been doing this forever. As she neared the edge she squeezed his hands tighter. And with a soft cry of the others name they came together.

Adrian opened his mouth to speak, but Sydney couldn't understand what he was saying, her head felt thick, foggy.

"What?" she softly asked.

He tried again, but the words came out completely muffled to her ears.

"I don't understand," Sydney said to him.

"Sydney!" Marcus said, the voice ringing clear this time.

Sydney jolted awake from the memory and looked over at the former alchemist. She stretched and rubbed the back of her neck. She must have dozed off during the drive. "Where are we?"

"Welcome to Mexico," he said with a grin. "Get ready for the first day of your new life."

Sydney shifted in her seat and looked out the window. She had left everything behind for this. Her job, her friends, her family…him and that night.

She looked down at the unopened envelope from Adrian in her hand. She balled it up in her fist and then let it fly out of the window. "No turning back now…" she whispered to herself as the paper danced through the air and then out of sight.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for the reviews and follows. It means a lot. :)_

Chapter Two

"No," Sydney said firmly. "No," she repeated. "We are not playing this game."

Three-year-old Hadley looked up at her mother defiantly, her green eyes so laser focused Sydney felt like she was burning a hole right through her. "No," she mimicked back.

"We don't have time for this," Sydney repeated in the same authoritative tone. While she was no one near as forceful as her own father used to be; she wasn't about to let her daughter walk all over her. Children needed structure and boundaries if they were going to grow up well adjusted.

As headstrong as she was Hadley knew she was fighting a losing battle. She slid off the couch and ran to the door to grab her shoes and coat.

"Good girl," Sydney praised her and slid on her own coat before picking up her briefcase and Hadley's bag off the coffee table.

It had been four years since Sydney left Palm Springs for Mexico. Four years since she had given up everything she knew for a chance at living life on her own terms. Marcus was right. She couldn't live her life with one foot in each world. She was determined not to waste time thinking about the past and to solely focus on the work that Marcus and company had planned.

Two months into the venture she knew something was…off. She was exhausted beyond belief, couldn't keep anything down, and her cycle, which had always run like clockwork, was late. A quick trip to a walk in clinic confirmed what she already knew. She was pregnant.

Sydney had never felt more alone in her life. She had no family to turn to. No friends either. Marcus' group was all about adventure and espionage, not changing diapers and middle of the night feedings.

A nagging voice inside her insisted that she call Adrian. This was his son or daughter after all. She picked up the phone and dialed more times than she could count, but the end result was always the same…she'd hang up before the call connected. Involving him meant going back to that world. A world that wasn't safe anymore now that she had an indigo tattoo.

With the help of some ex-Alchemist contacts she was able to obtain a new identity with ease. Though she normally wasn't goofy or sentimental she chose the last name Steele. She chalked that decision up to hormones working overtime throughout her body. During the months that followed she moved to Chicago and did what she did best…she organized, made lists, got a minimum wage job, took classes at a community college, and planned for the arrival of the baby.

Hadley Adrian Steele arrived with very little fanfare. The only person at the hospital with Sydney was a friend, Kenzie, from work. Obviously the baby was a dhampir, but with the magic she had inside of her Sydney thought something might make her daughter different. For weeks following her birth she watched and waited and the only thing she discovered was that her baby was absolutely perfect.

Sydney didn't think she would take to motherhood, but like everything else in her life she excelled at caring for Hadley. It helped that she was a very sweet little girl who hardly ever fussed. As Hadley grew so did Sydney. She got her associate's degree in Art History and landed a job as an art buyer for a multi-millionaire couple, Mr. and Mrs. Casey, who were far too busy jet setting to pick out their own paintings, sculptures, and the like. The pay was substantial, the hours were flexible, and being around all that beauty warmed Sydney's soul. In a year or so, once Hadley was in pre-school, she planned on going back to school herself and earnings her bachelor's degree.

This was definitely not the life she had planned out for herself, but as she had learned over the past few years that plans often go astray and that's not a bad thing.

"Mommmmmmy!" Hadley squealed.

Sydney looked over at her daughter, who was dressed and ready to go. "Looks like I'm the hold up now, huh?" she asked with a chuckle.

Hadley slid her hand into her mother's as they walked out of their apartment. She locked up behind them and the pair headed into the elevator. Sydney had a lunch date with an up and coming artist that Mr. Casey had been to a small show of while he was on business in Pennsylvania. They were going to meet and discuss his catalog of pieces. Of course Mr. Casey didn't bother to tell Sydney his name so she was hoping she'd be able to spot the artist by the paint under his fingernails. Hadley would be spending the afternoon with Kenzie.

Once Hadley was secured in her car seat Sydney made the quick ten minute ride to her friend's place. Kenzie was very much a free spirit, basically the opposite of Sydney. She lived in a cluttered studio apartment. Kenzie had never quite decided what she wanted to be when she grew up so she hopped from job to job like a bunny rabbit. She and Sydney met when there were both employed at Thanks A Latte, a local coffee shop. They bonded over their mutual love of caffeine and books. Currently she was working at one of those paint your own pottery places. Sydney was forever grateful she had Kenzie in her life, as well as Hadley's.

Sydney parked the car in a guest spot in Kenzie's apartment complex lot and unbuckled Hadley from her seat. "Ready to see Aunt Kenzie?" she asked her.

Hadley's face lit up at the mention of her friend. "Yes, yes," she replied quickly. She snuggled up into her mother's arms as they walked inside the building. Hadley pressed the button for Kenzie's apartment and after she buzzed them in they headed up to apartment 203.

Sydney set her daughter down and Hadley ran in through Kenzie's open door with Sydney following suit.

"Is that a dog?" Sydney asked looking at the foot of Kenzie's bed.

Kenzie looked at Sydney through her curtain of brown hair and grinned. "Isn't she adorable?" she cooed.

Sydney wanted to tell her friend she could barely take care of a houseplant what made her think she could be responsible for a dog, but she held her tongue. "Very cute," she said instead. She wasn't sure what breed the dog was. Maybe a cocker spaniel, but it was hard to tell.

"Name?" Hadley asked as she tentatively held out her hand to touch the animal. She squealed in delight when the puppy licked her hand.

"I think I'm going to call her Cinnamon. The name just speaks to me," Kenzie explained. "What do you think Haddie?"

"Lady!" Hadley insisted. The little girl had been watching a lot of Disney movies lately.

"Where did she even come from?" Sydney asked.

"Funny you should ask," Kenzie said, tearing her attention away from Cinnamon…Lady…whoever.

"Wait," Sydney said, holding up her hand. "This sounds like it's going to be a…story…and if I don't leave now I'm going to be late."

"But it's epiccccc…" Kenzie said in a sing song voice.

Sydney laughed. Kenzie's definition of epic was quite different than her own. "I'm sure it is and you can tell me all about it when I come back for Hadley," she said. "Come give me a hug."

The little girl abandoned the dog and ran towards her mother, wrapping her arms around her legs. "Bye, bye…see you laters," she said. She smiled up at Sydney.

"Be a good girl," she instructed her, leaning down to kiss her head. "Thanks again," she said to Kenzie.

Kenzie waved her hand as if to say no big deal. "Get moving, Syd," she encouraged her.

Sydney untangled herself from Hadley and left the apartment. She turned off the mommy part of her brain and focused on the task at hand.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you all for your kind words :) This story will be updated on Sundays and Thursdays._

Chapter Three

Sydney made it to the restaurant with five minutes to spare. After locking her car she slipped the keys into her coat pocket and headed inside. The strong aroma of garlic and marinara sauce wafted through the restaurant. One of the perks of working for someone who was wealthy was that Sydney got to pretend she was loaded too. She ate at fancy places for meetings and stayed in plush hotels when she traveled, all on someone else's dime. And now that she wasn't quite as concerned about her weight (pregnancy changed her whole perspective on body issues) she actually enjoyed the food, carbs and all.

"Reservation for Casey," Sydney told the perky blonde hostess.

Perky blonde consulted the computer and smiled. "Would you like to wait for the rest of your party before being seated?" she asked her.

Seeing as Sydney wasn't even sure who she was waiting for she figured it would just be easier to wait at the table. "You can just go ahead and seat me," she replied.

"Right this way, miss," Perky blonde said. She scooped up two menus and led Sydney to a prime table next to the fountain in the middle of the dining room. "Kate will be your server," she said to her. "Enjoy," she added before walking away.

Sydney set her purse on the floor and slipped her coat off and onto the back of the chair. She picked up the glass in front of her to take a sip of water. Just as she was about to look at the list of specials she noticed Perky blonde leading someone towards her table. Sydney rose up to her feet so she could properly greet her potential new client. She smoothed her hand over her non descript blouse and skirt, clothing habits die hard, and tucked a few loose strands of hair back into her clip.

As Perky blonde stepped aside Sydney extended her hand. "I'm Sydney, it's very nice to meet…I'm sorry I didn't get your name," she apologized.

"I knew it was going to be you," Adrian said to her, removing his sunglasses and flashing those emerald eyes.

Sydney had to grip the table to keep herself upright. It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room; surely her face was now as pale as his. She had been so careful to stay off the grid.

"Steele was the tip off," Adrian said to her. "You're really sentimental at heart, Sage."

Sydney opened and closed her mouth a few times before finding her words. "I have to go," she finally said.

"Go? You can't go," Adrian said quickly. "I just found you…" he added softly.

But Sydney wasn't listening she was already haphazardly trying to put her coat back on. "I can't help you with this. I'm sorry," she stammered, unable to look him in the eye.

"Sydney…" he tried again, reaching out to touch her arm.

She recoiled quickly, stumbling into the table behind her, which was thankfully empty. "I have to go…" Once she got her bearings she practically ran out the door and to the safety of her car. She scrambled for her keys in her pocket and peeled out of the parking lot, her tires squealing.

Sydney didn't want to think about how many traffic laws she broke as she quickly escaped. When she was a few blocks away from the restaurant she peeked over her shoulder to make sure Adrian wasn't behind her. She hadn't had to do any tactical driving in years so she was thankful to see the coast was clear.

She pulled off the road and turned into a gas station. After she had parked the car she rested her forehead against the steering wheel. She needed to calm down. Sydney worked better when she was dealing with facts and figures and not operating on pure emotion.

God, he had still looked so good. And he hadn't seemed that upset to see her. In fact he had almost seemed happy.

"Stop it, Sydney," she scolded herself. This was exactly what she should not be doing. She needed to get Hadley, get home, and do…something.

She reached for her bag so she could retrieve her phone and call Kenzie. Instead of feeling leather her hand groped the empty seat next to her.

"Shit," she swore under her breath. She had put the bag under the table, forgetting it in her mad dash. She slowly eased the car out of the gas station and drove at a reasonable, and legal, speed to Kenzie's apartment complex.

There was no need to worry. It's not like Adrian knew where she lived. She supposed he could contact Mr. Casey directly but she doubted her boss would give out her personal information…like her address and the fact she had a child. By the time she killed the engine on the car she felt much better. Everything was going to be fine.

"What are you doing back so soon?" Kenzie asked after letting her inside.

Sydney didn't bother to sit down or take off her coat. "The artist flaked," she lied.

"That sucks," Kenzie said sympathetically. "I know you were looking forward to meeting him."

"No big deal," Sydney replied, not really listening to what her friend was saying. "Can I use your phone? I think I left my purse at the restaurant."

Kenzie nodded and went back to join Hadley on the floor. It looked like they were building some kind of shanty town with pillows and blankets.

After locating the number of the restaurant online she dialed and found herself, once again, speaking to Perky blonde. "I was just there about twenty minutes ago and I think I left my purse," Sydney explained.

"You left in a hurry," Perky blonde replied.

Sydney rolled her eyes. She had called to find out about her bag, not gossip with the hostess. "Can you please check and see if it's there?" she asked, ignoring the commentary.

"Hold, please," Perky blonde said and suddenly Sydney's ear was filled with elevator music. Sydney stole a quick glance out the window.

"It's not at the table you were seated at," Perky blonde piped into the receiver.

"And no one turned in a bag?" she asked her.

"No, miss," Perky blonde said.

Sydney groaned and gave the hostess her home number, asking her to call if anything turned up. She hung up the phone and made a mental list of what she'd need to do to rectify the situation. Call the credit card company, buy a new cell phone, and look up the location of the closest DMV. Just the simple act of making the list calmed her nerves.

"No luck?" Kenzie asked, peeking out from under her makeshift tent.

Sydney shook her head no. "We should be getting home. I have some calls to make," she said.

"You could do that all from here," Kenzie replied. "I don't have to be at work until later and I can look after Hadley while you do all that."

That all sounded very reasonable to Sydney, but she really just wanted to get home. "Thanks, but I'd rather just do it from my place," she said.

After tearing Hadley away from Pinkie (the latest name for the dog) Sydney and her daughter were on their way. Though they were safely inside their apartment in a secure building Sydney still did a quick sweep of their home. Hadley was all too happy to follow along, as if this was some kind of treasure hunt. Satisfied that Adrian wasn't going to pop out of her linen closet she set about making the necessary calls and fixing dinner while Hadley napped.

The rest of the evening was quiet. The pair ate spaghetti and meatballs before reading a few stories. Well, more like Sydney tried to read and Hadley asked question after question. She had an inquisitive little mind that Sydney was more than happy to indulge.

"Sleep tight," Sydney said softly as she pulled the blanket up to Hadley's chin.

"Can we have a dog?" she asked through a yawn, her mouth making a tiny O.

Sydney chuckled at the request; at least she had stopped asking for a sibling…or a squirrel. "We'll see," she said to placate her for the moment.

"Okay," Hadley agreed easily as her eyelids drooped closed. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered and kissed her forehead.

Sydney backed away from the bed and picked up a few stray toys. She couldn't stop herself from checking the closet one more time before leaving the room. She wandered into the bathroom to grab some laundry from the hamper. She tossed a load into the wash before making herself a cup of tea and settling on the couch with her laptop. She opened up her email, trying to think of how to explain the events of the afternoon to Mr. Casey. Just as her fingers touched the keyboard there was a knock at the door.

Panic seized Sydney's body. No…there was no way it could be him. She lived in a building that required guests to be buzzed in. It was probably just a neighbor. When the knocking didn't stop she slowly got up off the couch and walked towards the door.

"Who's there?" she asked, the quiver in her voice evident.

"Sydney Sage," Adrian, calmly and evenly, said from the other side of the barrier. "You didn't think I'd let you slip through my fingers again, did you?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Many thanks for your kind reviews :)_

Chapter Four

Sydney responded in the most mature and intelligent way possible. "Go away!" she hissed.

Adrian laughed out loud and continued rapping his knuckles against the door. "Oh, Sage…I think we both know I can keep this up for a long time. All night if necessary," he replied.

"How did you even get inside?" Sydney asked him.

"You neighbors are easily charmed," Adrian replied.

Oh, god. He had used compulsion. Afraid the noise would attract attention, or worse wake up Hadley, Sydney relented and opened the door a crack. "Okay, you can stop now," she said to him.

All of Adrian's previous bravado seemed to disappear as their gazes met. "It really is you…" he said softly.

There was a look of awe on his face. It was making Sydney feel things she didn't want to feel. "Yeah, it's me. And now that we've established that, you can go now," she replied. She paused for a second before speaking again. "Wait, how did you know where to find me?"

Adrian held up Sydney's purse. "You should really be more careful with your belongings, Sage. Did years out in the free world turn you into an irresponsible hoodlum?" he asked with a smirk.

Sydney's arm reached out, her hand trying to snatch the leather bag from his grip.

"Ah, ah…not so fast," he said, holding the object closer to his side. "Let me in and you can have your purse back."

"No, we are not playing this game," Sydney said, trying again to retrieve her bag. Dealing with him was like dealing with Hadley.

"Then I guess we've reached an impasse," Adrian mused.

She rubbed her hand over her face before relenting and opening the door just wide enough that Adrian could slither in. Once he was fully inside the apartment he handed her purse back to her and looked around.

"How very…you," Adrian said, eyeing the beige walls and off white couch with matching throw pillows.

"Thank you for the critique. And thank you for returning my purse. Now please leave and forget you ever saw me," Sydney replied.

His gaze finally found its way back to her. "I see you made it to Mexico," Adrian commented, nodding at her cheek.

Her hand came up and lightly traced the fading tattoo on her face. "I told you that was my plan," she replied.

Adrian shook his head. "Yeah, you did," he confirmed. "And you were never one to back out on a plan," he said. "But answer me this…what kind of underground ex-Alchemist dealings involve you working as an art buyer?"

"That's my business," Sydney said. She set her bag on the couch and wrapped her arms around herself.

Adrian chuckled softly. "Oh, Sage…you owe me explanations beyond belief on a number of topics," he replied. "But I'll settle for this one at the moment."

Eager to get him out of the apartment she replied, "Things didn't go as planned. I had to adjust and adapt," she clarified.

"Marcus and his merry men weren't all they promised, huh?" Adrian commented.

"We no longer share a working relationship. I'm just a plain old human now," Sydney replied.

"Sydney Steele," he murmured. "Just a plain old human."

"Exactly," she said, hoping the conversation would just end here.

"Sage, I think we both know there's absolutely nothing plain about you," Adrian replied.

"I don't really have anything else to say to you," Sydney said, holding her arms around herself tighter, trying to keep herself together.

"Maybe not," Adrian said. "But we do have some unfinished business…" he trailed off.

Sydney's eyes grew slightly. "No," she said firmly. "That night was just…that night."

Adrian laughed. "Oh, now see…I wasn't the one to bring up THAT night. It was you," he said. "I was referring to our mutual dealings with Mr. Casey. I know you hate to let anyone with authority over you down."

"I've loosened up over time," Sydney lied. She had eased up on a lot of her hangs ups, but screwing up at her job was not one of them.

"You never could lie to me," Adrian said. "How about Thursday night we try this meeting again, same restaurant," he said.

As much as she wanted to say no he was right, she needed to make this deal for Mr. Casey. And meeting on neutral ground seemed safe enough. "Fine," she said in a very businesslike manner. "Six o'clock," she added, wanting to assert some of her own authority onto the situation.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, smirking once again. "Looking forward to it." He nodded his head and exited the apartment.

The door wasn't even fully closed as Sydney pushed on the lock. She leaned against the frame and closed he eyes. Though the conversation had been civil her heart was practically beating out of her chest.

"Mommy!" Hadley called from her bedroom.

Sydney took a deep breath. Focus, focus… "Coming!" she replied and stepped away from the door and down the hall.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning passed much too quickly for Sydney's taste. Before she knew it she found herself back where she had been on Monday afternoon. Kenzie agreed to watch Hadley for the evening at Sydney's place. Obviously her friend had no idea who she was meeting; she just thought Sydney's lunch meeting had been rescheduled, but that didn't stop Sydney from feeling like Kenzie was on to her.

"Ms. Steele," Adrian greeted her as she walked into the restaurant. He was dressed in a suit and tie. His dark hair messy, as usual, and the ever present devil may care smile on his lips. "You always did look lovely in red."

Sydney couldn't help it when her cheeks turned the same color as her blouse. "Thank you," she said, hoping the dark overhead lighting would hide her flush.

"This way, please," Perky blonde said as she showed them to her table. The smile on her face indicted she was excited they were back and hopeful for the drama that might unfold.

Adrian pulled Sydney's chair out for her as she eased her jacket off her shoulders. She carefully set her purse in her lap this time. Adrian settled across from her.

"I was thinking we could put our personal relationship on hold for tonight," Adrian said to her.

"We don't have a personal relationship," she commented.

Adrian gave her an exaggerated wink. "Right, exactly, Ms. Steele," he replied.

The waiter came by and recited the drink and dinner specials for the evening. Adrian ordered a glass of wine while Sydney opted for water.

"Some things never change," Sydney said after the waiter had left. She opened up her menu.

"I beg your pardon, but I don't believe we know each other well enough for you to make that kind of comment," Adrian said, eyeing his own menu.

Sydney couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Yes, of course," she said.

"I hope you eat more than grass and oats these days," Adrian said. "Though by the looks of you I see you've developed into a healthy woman quite nicely."

"I beg your pardon, but I don't believe we know each other well enough for you to make that kind of comment," she said, mimicking his previous statement.

After they placed their orders, something with lots of carbs for Sydney just to prove something to Adrian, he slid his portfolio over to her. "As you can see my work is all here, catalogued by medium," he explained.

"How very professional," Sydney replied. She opened up the thick black book.

"Jill helped me," Adrian admitted.

The mention of the young Moroi princess piqued Sydney's interest more than it should have. She had been very close to Jill and leaving her was almost as hard as leaving Adrian. She nodded her head. "I see," she said as she turned the pages. "How is Jill?" she asked politely.

"She's in college now," Adrian replied. "She'sstudying design. Both the artistic and business aspects of it."

Sydney smiled. Jill had always been a natural with fashion. It only made sense. "Good for her," she said, careful not to be too overly interested in what he was saying. "And Eddie?" she couldn't help but ask. So much for being distant.

"He's been off probation for a few years now and is her full time guardian," Adrian told her. He took a sip of his wine. "They're a couple."

"They finally went for it," Sydney said. "I bet he just loves his college studies." Eddie had been quite vocal about how much he wasn't looking forward to going back to school during their Palm Springs mission.

"He loves Jill so he makes it work," Adrian said, his tone a little more clipped than it had been.

"Why don't you tell me about your work," Sydney suggested. This trip down memory lane wasn't a good idea for either one of them.

Adrian relaxed a little bit. "As you can see I'm simply a natural talent," he said, turning back on the usual charm.

"You stopped taking classes?" she asked, looking away from the portfolio and up at him.

"Just a break," Adrian replied. "I'm signed up for the spring semester."

"Still in California?" she asked.

He shook his head. "We're all back near court now," he explained to her. He took another sip from his glass.

"So the law was changed," Sydney reasoned. "If you're all back there and Jill is in college…" She was trying to piece this all together. She still had enough contacts in that world that she could have found out these answers over the years, she had just chosen not to.

"That battle is still being fought," Adrian said to her, setting his glass back down on the table. "You would have been in Palm Springs for another year or so after you left."

"I don't understand then," Sydney admitted to him.

"Lissa had a baby," Adrian said to her.

Sydney nearly spit out the sip of water she had just taken. "Lissa's a mother?" she yelped.

Adrian started to lean over and pat her on the back, but then thought better of it. "Jeehz, Sage…I didn't say she became a circus clown," he replied. "She and Christian got married and she has a daughter. Now there are three Dragomirs."

"I just…I didn't know…" Sydney stammered.

"Well, no one's life stopped because you weren't there," Adrian said as their food arrived.

Sydney swallowed, knowing she didn't really have a leg to stand on here. "Mr. Casey gave me a list of pieces he liked when he was at your show," she said. "I can tag them in the book and then we can discuss price."

"I have a better idea," Adrian said in between bites of his steak.

"What's that?" Sydney asked, not feeling hungry at all.

"I'm only in town until tomorrow night. Perhaps you could accompany me back to court and see these pieces for yourself. Then we can discuss the matter further," Adrian proposed.

"You're joking, right?" Sydney said to him.

"Strictly professional, of course," Adrian added. "Come on, Sage? What do you say?"

It scared her how tempting that offer sounded. "I have responsibilities here I can't just shrug off," she said.

"I'm sure your neighbor can water your plants," Adrian said to her with a chuckle.

"Can I let you know tomorrow?" she finally said.

It wasn't a no so Adrian was sufficed. "Sure," he agreed. "Now let me tell you about my foray into sculpture…"


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you to all my readers. Your reviews mean a lot to me :)_

Chapter Five

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Sydney said as she buckled her seatbelt on Lissa's private jet.

Adrian scoffed. "I didn't talk you into anything," he replied. "I simply asked you to come to court with me to see my work. I didn't twist your arm."

"But you knew I wouldn't say no when it involved work," Sydney pointed out.

"That was just an advantage of knowing what buttons to push," he said with a smirk.

The flight attendant came around to go through the safety procedures with them. Once her explanation was over she took their drink orders. They were left alone again.

"Did you get your business all arranged?" Adrian asked her.

Sydney tucked her hair behind her ear. "Yes, all taken care of," she assured him. Kenzie was taking care of Hadley and any other work related business she had to work on could be done online.

"That's good to hear," he said to her. He stretched out his legs in front of him, fighting through a yawn.

"You must be happy to get back to court. Back on your usual sleep schedule," she mused.

"I don't sleep much anyway," he responded.

"You should," she said to him. "Your brain reorganizes you memories at night which can spur creativity," she explained.

Adrian laughed and shook his head. "I should have known you'd have a factoid for me," he replied.

"I'm full of useful knowledge," she said with a smile.

The flight attendant came around to bring them their drinks and a snack before retiring back to her area for the remainder of the trip.

"I know. There's nothing about you I forgot," Adrian said sadly.

She hadn't forgotten a single thing about him either. Sydney cleared her throat. "Is there anything else I need to know before we arrive?" she asked him.

"Right, back to business," Adrian said. He straightened up in his seat. "Let's see…I told you about Lissa, Christian, Jill, Eddie…" he ticked off his tongue.

"What about your father?" she asked gently. She had met Mr. Ivashkov and was not his biggest fan.

Adrian shrugged. "I see him on special occasions, but no more, no less," he said to her. "Yours?"

She shook her head no. "I haven't seen my family since before I left for Mexico," she explained.

"Even your sisters?" he asked her.

"No one. I'm totally off the grid," Sydney clarified. She took a sip of diet coke from her glass.

"That must be lonely," he said to her. "I mean, I'm not close to my parents, but I still have Jill and the rest."

She chuckled a little. "I do have friends," she said to him. "I'm not a total recluse."

"You do have that charming wit about you," he snorted. "Tell me more about what happened with you and Marcus," he asked.

"What is there to tell? We have different ideas about what helping the cause meant," Sydney said to him. That wasn't entirely a lie.

"So instead of trying you just…gave up?" he asked her. "It sounds like you're not even involved at all anymore."

"It just wasn't right for me. It was easier to leave all that behind," Sydney told him. "Safer."

"Since when have you ever been scared of a little danger?" he asked.

When she had more than herself to think about. "I just thought there was more to life I wanted to explore," she told him.

"Alright, so you decided not to join the merry men…what did you do instead?" he asked her.

She could hear it in his voice. What had she done that she deemed more important than him and the rest of the Palm Springs crew? More important than her family? "I moved to Chicago and worked. I worked my tail off in order to pay for school," she told him.

"Slinging hash?" he asked her with a chuckle.

"Slinging lattes," she clarified. "After some time I got my AA in Art History and got a job with Mr. Casey."

"So you finally got to go to college," he said with a smile. "I'm happy for you."

"Mr. Casey offered to pay for me to finish and get my BA. I might do that in a few years," she added, smiling now too.

"Why the wait?" he asked her curiously.

"There's just…too much going on right now," Sydney said vaguely.

"I'm going to get a straight answer from you by the end of this trip…mark my words," Adrian said with a chuckle.

"I'm sure you have lot of questions for me…" Sydney said softly.

Adrian looked down at his glass. "Remember the last flight we took together?" he asked her, now looking up to meet her eyes.

She nodded her head slowly. "To the wedding," she replied.

"And I told you that even if you didn't want to admit that you loved me it wasn't going to stop me from loving you," he said to her.

"I recall," she confirmed, taking a hard swallow.

"Well, this is a similar situation," he replied. "I have questions, concerns, but I know that pushing you won't help…so I'm going to wait. When you're ready we'll talk and until then I'm going to enjoy your company." When he finished he drained the rest of his drink and set the glass down, punctuating the end of his statement.

Sydney never got a chance to reply. The pilot came over the loudspeaker to tell them their descent was about to begin. After the plane touched the ground they silently exited and got into a waiting van that would take them to court.

Adrian pulled the door open and as Sydney slipped inside she found herself staring at a familiar face.

"I saw you through the bond, but I wasn't going to believe it until I saw you for myself. Where the hell have you been?" Jill demanded.


	6. Chapter 6

_Once again thank you for the reviews…they mean the world to me :)_

Chapter Six

Before Sydney could even formulate a response Jill spoke up again.

"I mean…you just left! Without a word! You left behind people who were depending on you. And what you did to Adrian! I knew you might be joining up with Marcus, but to go off the grid!" Jill said, totally exasperated.

"Whoa, Jailbait…let's give Sydney a chance to breathe, huh?" Adrian suggested, resting his hand on Jill's shoulder.

Jill folded her arms across her chest and sat back in her seat. "She can breathe while she explains the past four years," she huffed.

Once Sydney was sure Jill wasn't going to say anything else she spoke up. "I know what I did was a little extreme, but the circumstances were…difficult," Sydney tried to explain.

"What like you were working for the Alchemist CIA or something?" Jill demanded.

"I left Marcus' group," she started to say.

"I know, I know…I heard all this through the bond," Jill replied. "And Adrian might be willing to go along with your vague answers, but I'm not."

"I don't know what you want me to say," Sydney said quietly.

"I guess the truth is too much to ask for," Jill said. She turned her head and looked out the window.

"I'm sorry," Adrian mouthed over to Sydney.

"I can see what you're saying Adrian," Jill reminded him, keeping her gaze elsewhere.

The rest of the ride to court was spent in an uncomfortable silence. Upon arrival Jill went to her own quarters while Adrian led Sydney to his apartment.

"I'm not staying with you, am I?" Sydney asked after they had gone inside.

"There's a spare room. Don't worry, Sage…I already claimed your virtue, it's not like I can do it again. Well, I guess I could, but I'm not going to," Adrian said with a chuckle.

"I'm not going to respond to that," she replied. Sydney looked around at the apartment. Everything was done in dark, rich colors. "Any of the artwork yours?" she asked him.

"No, even I'm not that egotistical," Adrian said. He flopped onto the couch.

She looked back at him. "I need to make a few calls. The spare room is…?" she asked.

"Down the hall on the right," he said and gestured with his hand.

"Thanks," Sydney replied. She adjusted her purse on her shoulder and followed his directions. Once she was in the privacy of her own room she pulled her out cell phone and dialed Kenzie.

"Hey, did you have a good flight?" Kenzie asked her.

"Uneventful," Sydney replied. "How's everything there?" she asked her.

"I think your daughter is smarter than me and it's giving me a complex," Kenzie said. "I was writing out a grocery list and she corrected my spelling."

Sydney laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like her. Can I talk to her?" she asked.

"Just a sec," Kenzie replied, passing the phone to Hadley.

"Hi, hi mommy," Hadley chirped.

"Hello, Hadley. Are you having a good time with Kenzie?" Sydney asked her.

"Yes, yes," she assured her mother. "When are you coming home?"

"Very soon. Just one sleep, okay?" Sydney said to her.

"Okay. I love you," Hadley in reply.

"I love you too. Be a good girl," Sydney said as Hadley passed the phone back to Kenzie.

"See you tomorrow night then?" Kenzie said. "Do you need me to pick you up from the airport?"

"No, it's fine. I can take a cab. See you tomorrow," Sydney said and hung up the phone.

"Tomorrow?" Adrian asked.

Sydney jumped when she heard his voice, dropping the phone on the floor. "How long have you been standing there?" she asked. She needed to know how much he had heard.

"Just that you were going home tomorrow. Why so soon?" Adrian asked her, sitting down on the bed.

"Sure, just invite yourself in," Sydney said with a roll of her eyes. "Because I have a life in Chicago I need to get back to."

"At least stay for the weekend," Adrian reasoned.

"I came here to see what pieces I could suggest for Mr. Casey, not so we could spend the weekend together," Sydney said to him. "And in case you haven't noticed I'm not exactly welcome here."

"Don't worry about Jailbait. She'll come around," Adrian said to her. "But seriously…just until Sunday."

"Why is it so important?" Sydney asked, sitting down next to him.

"Because I know that if you leave tomorrow I probably won't talk to you again or see you and I just…missed you," Adrian said sincerely.

Sydney swallowed. "I missed you too," she admitted to him.

Adrian smiled, but not his usual smirk, more of a sad smile. It didn't quite reach his eyes. "Then at least spend a few days here," he said softly.

"I have to make some calls, but…maybe," Sydney finally relented.

"Great," Adrian said with a genuine smile now. "I'll let you do that." He got up off the bed and left the room.

Sydney sighed. Adrian could probably sell ice to an Eskimo. She called Kenzie back to see if she could handle Hadley until Sunday.

"Smells good," Sydney commented as she walked out of the spare room and into the kitchen.

"I'll be sure to send your compliments to the chef," Adrian replied.

"Are you the chef?" she asked with a chuckle.

"No, the actual court chef. She makes the food and I just heat it up," he said sheepishly.

"Wow, something you're actually not good at," Sydney teased.

"I'd only admit that to you," Adrian said. "So…did you take care of whatever you needed to take care of?" he asked her.

She nodded her head yes. "I need to leave early on Sunday, but I'll stay," she told him.

"Great," Adrian said to her. "Tomorrow morning we can go through my studio and then that way you'll have the rest of the day to get ready."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Get ready for what?" she asked him.

"Lissa and Christian's daughter's birthday party is tomorrow night," he explained. "It's going to be a big blowout. Everyone who is anyone will be there."

She looked at him in disbelief. "And you want me to go…?" Sydney asked.

"Come on, it'll be a good chance for you to see everyone. And Jill will help you get ready, which will give you guys time to talk. Plus I'd like to steal a dance or two with you," Adrian explained.

"You are unbelievable," Sydney said with a shake of her head.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you for the reviews. They are much appreciated._

Chapter Seven

The next morning started much earlier than Sydney would have preferred. Technically it was the middle of the night since vampire day and night were the opposite of human day and night. Nonetheless when Adrian knocked on her door she got up and readied herself for the day. She still couldn't believe she had agreed to all of this. She briefly wondered if Adrian used compulsion, but dismissed the idea. She wanted this to happen. That's why she had agreed to even come here in the first place.

After a quick breakfast the pair headed to Adrian's studio. It was on the outskirts of court, tucked away behind a few businesses.

"The light here is perfect," he explained to her as he unlocked the door.

Sydney nodded her head. "How much time do you spend here?" she asked him as they stepped inside.

"At least two hours a day," he reasoned, closing the door behind them. "It depends on my mood, what's going on, how much spirit I'm…experiencing."

"Is it still bad?" she asked him.

"Not at the moment," he said in reply, holding her gaze.

Her cheeks flushed slightly and she averted her eyes to look around the room. The entire studio was covered with different pieces of work in a variety of mediums. "Have you sold a lot?" she asked him.

"I wouldn't say a lot. And most of it has been to human clients. My last name isn't exactly highly regarded around here," Adrian said. He pulled some tarps away from a few canvases.

"Is your mother…" she trailed off.

"She's still in prison," Adrian finished the thought. "I don't get to see her very often."

"That's hard," she said softly, knowing the feeling not seeing family all too well. She was eager to change the topic. "Mr. Casey gave me a list." She fished it out of her pocket and handed it to Adrian. A familiar tingle course through her veins as their fingers touched. If he felt it too he didn't display any signs of it outwardly.

Adrian's eyes scanned the list. "Ah, mostly from my abstract period," he commented.

"I don't know if you're quite famous enough to have a period," Sydney said with a chuckle. The chuckle sounded strange to her ears, like she was trying too hard. She quickly pressed her lips together.

"You know I like to think big," Adrian said. He led her to the first piece on the list.

Sydney had seen it in his portfolio but the picture didn't do the painting justice. She took in a breath. "It's beautiful," she said softly.

"Yeah, it is," Adrian agreed, but was not looking at the painting.

"You're staring at me," she commented.

"Staring sounds creepy…I was simply admiring," Adrian explained. "So what do you think…is this worthy of Mr. Casey's collection?"

"Definitely," she said without hesitation. She wrote it down in her notepad.

They continued going through the list piece by piece until they reached the end.

"Do you have a price list?" she asked him, after closing her notepad. She tucked her pen behind her ear.

"Yeah, lemme find it," he replied. He wandered over to his desk and rummaged through the messy piles of paper.

"What's this one? " Sydney asked, pulling the tarp on a covered canvas.

"No!" Adrian exclaimed, looking over at her. "Not that one."

But it was too late. Sydney found herself staring at…herself. "It's me…" she said unintelligently.

"You weren't supposed to see that," Adrian said to her. He took the tarp from her hands and covered the painting again, but the damage had already been done.

"Why me…?" Sydney asked him, looking over at him rather dumbfounded.

"Of course you wouldn't know," Adrian said with a sigh. "All of this…" he said, gesturing to the entire studio. "…is because of you. You're my inspiration for everything. You always have been…even when I lost you."

Sydney shook her head. "No…you can't…" she stammered.

"What do you mean I can't?" he asked her. "You can control a lot of things, Sage, but my feelings are not one of them."

"But you don't know everything," Sydney tried to reason.

"Then tell me. Please, Sydney…" he said, using her first name. "I'm right here. Talk to me. Don't shut me out again," he was almost begging now.

Sydney felt tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. "You said you wouldn't push…" she said, recalling the conversation they had had only yesterday.

"You can't blame me for trying," Adrian replied. He took a breath and looked at his watch. "Jill's expecting you."

Sydney had never been so happy to go see someone who basically hated her. "I'll see you tonight," she said quickly. She grabbed the papers she needed off the desk and bolted from the room.

She took a few deep breaths of her own once she was out in the fresh air. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this to herself. Everything felt so heavy at the moment. She thought she had been protecting herself and Hadley, but maybe she had only just been too scared to see how good things could be.


	8. Chapter 8

_I truly appreciate all your sweet reviews._

Chapter Eight

After collecting herself Sydney made her way to see Jill. She was slightly surprised she wanted to help her get ready for the party, but if she couldn't bring herself to make things right with Adrian she could at least try with Jill.

And that was how she found herself sitting in front of Jill's vanity as the Moroi princess ran a comb through her hair.

"Ouch," Sydney winced a little bit as Jill hit a knot.

"Sorry," Jill said, very unapologetically.

"I know you're mad at me, but do you have to take it out on my hair?" Sydney asked her.

"What makes you think I'm mad at you?" Jill asked her. She set down the comb and started working her fingers through her hair instead.

"The silent treatment was a tip off," Sydney replied.

Jill shook her head. "I'm not mad," she said to her. "Disappointed, confused, hurt. Those are better words to describe my feelings," she explained.

"There's so much I want to tell you. So much that you should know. That you all should know…" Sydney said with a sigh.

Jill sat down next to her on the little bench in front of the vanity. "I wish you would tell me…I thought of you like a sister. You took better care of me than Lissa…" Jill said softly.

"I'm scared to tell you," Sydney said softly. "It'd change everything," she murmured.

"I just thought you loved me…loved Adrian," Jill said to her. "You're different than the other Alchemists. Not because of your magic, but because of who you are…or who I thought you were."

Sydney wrapped her arm around Jill's shoulder, the girl reminding her of her own sister at the moment. She just wanted to feel like she mattered to someone.

"When I left that night it was to join with Marcus. I thought I'd be able to do some good outside of the organization. On my own terms, you know?" Sydney said to her. "I made it all the way to Mexico and had my tattoo covered."

Jill nodded and looked at the faded marks on Sydney's cheek. "But it wasn't what you thought it was going to be?" she asked her, desperate to understand what had happened.

"I found out I was pregnant," Sydney told her before she could stop herself. While she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders by finally telling someone, a knot formed in her stomach as well. It's not like she could ask Jill to keep her secret. That would be unfair.

Jill looked at Sydney liked she told her she had another head. "You have a baby?" she asked in disbelief.

Sydney nodded her head. "A little girl. Hadley Adrian," she said softly.

"How did that happen? I mean, I know how it happened," Jill said. She hadn't been that good at blocking back then. "But…why didn't you come back when you found out?"

"How could I have?" Sydney asked her. "I had just betrayed the Alchemists. I couldn't risk getting the rest of you in trouble."

"But you hurt us…and you hurt yourself too. And your daughter," Jill said, choking slightly over the d word. "Didn't you think Adrian deserved to know?"

"Adrian had enough to deal with," Sydney insisted.

"And you leaving just gave him one more thing to have to deal with," Jill responded.

"He couldn't have handled it," Sydney replied. She had barely been able to handle it herself.

Jill shook her head. "You know him well enough to know that he could have. You just didn't give him the chance. Once again you were too scared to do what you knew was right," she said.

"Once again?" Sydney asked her.

"Being with Adrian in the first place. Running away with Marcus instead of trying to fight from within," Jill ticked off her tongue.

"Wow, I feel so much better now," Sydney huffed.

"No, you do not get to huff and puff about this," Jill said to her. She stood up and went back to working on her hair.

"What are you doing?" Sydney asked, trying to twist out of her grasp.

"I'm making you beautiful so that maybe when you tell Adrian the truth he'll be too distracted to get too mad at you," Jill said. "Now stop fidgeting."

Sydney pressed her lips together and sat still, letting Jill finish her work.

...

"Sorry I'm late," Sydney said, joining Adrian in the lobby of the main hall where the party was being held. After her talk with Jill she took a walk and tried to clear her head, but she only ended up feeling more confused.

Adrian turned to look at her. "Nothing interesting ever happens until after…" he trailed off when she came into his full view.

"Jill's pretty good with a plain canvas too," Sydney said as he continued to drink her in.

"Again, there's nothing plain about you," Adrian insisted. His eyes finally came up to meet hers. "Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm.

"Yes, thank you," Sydney replied, slipping her arm through his and resting her fingers there.

They walked inside to the elegantly decorated hall. Sydney spotted several Moroi royals she recognized from her brief stint at court all those years ago. Guardians were posted at every exit and many were dispersed throughout the crowd. There was a head table where Lissa, Christian, and the newest Dragomir sat. Sydney swallowed when she saw the happy family.

"We should go say hello," Adrian said, tugging gently on Sydney's arm.

She nodded her head, following his lead towards the center of the room. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jill standing beside Eddie. The Moroi princess gave her a meaningful look. Sydney quickly turned her head away.

"Lissa, you remember Sydney," Adrian said, reintroducing the queen to her.

"Yes, Sydney. Thank you for joining us tonight," Lissa said with a smile. "You remember Christian, yes?"

"Thank you very much for having me tonight," Sydney replied politely. "It's nice to see you both. Your daughter is beautiful," she said. Her heart ached a little bit for her own baby.

Adrian made more small talk with the couple while the knot in Sydney's stomach grew tighter. She remained quiet as they stepped away and took their seats for dinner.

"Everything okay?" Adrian asked her.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Sydney replied. She fiddled with her handbag.

"Does being around vampires still make you that uncomfortable?" Adrian asked. "I promise we don't bite…unless the participant is willing that is," he added with a chuckle.

"Um, a little bit," Sydney replied, clearly distracted.

"Come on, that joke was kind of funny," Adrian insisted. He elbowed her in the side lightly. "Did you get a chance to look at the list?" he asked her.

"Briefly," Sydney said, pushing her food around on her plate. "Everything seemed reasonable. I'll tell Mr. Casey the pieces he chose will make a good investment."

"And then you'll be gone again," Adrian said sadly, poking at his own plate.

"We still have tonight," Sydney replied, looking over at him.

"What does that mean?" Adrian asked her. The last time they spent the night together it hadn't ended well.

"Let's dance," Sydney suggested.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you all for your kind reviews._

Chapter Nine

Adrian took Sydney's hand and led her to the dance floor. He rested one hand on her waist and laced the fingers of their free hands together as she rested her hand on his shoulder. They swayed quietly at first.

"You're letting me lead," Adrian commented, breaking the silence.

"Remember the first time we danced?" she asked him instead of replying.

"At the wedding," he responded.

"That feels like a million years ago," Sydney replied with a sigh.

"I thought Stanton and your little Alchie friend were going to die right there on the spot," Adrian said with an amused little chuckle.

"I'm not in the loop anymore, but I'm pretty sure the way they reacted that night is still the norm," Sydney replied.

"You were very brave that night…and that whole winter," Adrian said to her. "I don't know if I could have done all the things you did."

"But look where it got me," Sydney said to him.

"Where exactly is that?" Adrian asked, pulling her slightly closer to him.

Sydney looked up at him. "Far away from everyone I care about," she said. "Far away from you."

"I'm right here, Sydney. I'm not letting you go again. I won't," Adrian said firmly.

A wave of nostalgia washed over Sydney as she leaned in to close the rest of the space between them, pressing their lips together gently. It was like they had never been apart. Everything about being with Adrian felt as right as it always had.

Acting purely on instinct Sydney asked, "Can we go somewhere more private?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Adrian replied.

He pulled her off the dance floor so they could retrieve their belongings. After some hasty good-byes they exited the building and made their way to Adrian's place.

Once inside his apartment Adrian's lips were on Sydney's again. When they finished there they found her cheeks, forehead, jaw, earlobe, and finally her neck. He busied his hands with the zipper on the back of her dress.

Sydney tilted her head to the side and murmured softly as he brushed her skin over and over again with his mouth. Once he finally freed the zipper her dress pooled at her feet. He moved away from her neck and pressed his forehead to hers. She looked at him and licked her lips, her fingers pulling so quickly at the buttons on his shirt that they popped right off. Adrian chuckled and scooped her up into his arms, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He held her with one arm and used his free limb to remove her bra. They made their way to his bedroom, pausing every two feet to kiss. Eventually they found their way onto his bed.

Adrian leaned her back against the mattress and hovered over her. Sydney focused her attention on getting his belt unbuckled so his dress pants could come off. He had far too much clothing on for her liking. He shifted back enough to kick them off easily after she released the zipper.

Adrian leaned down again, their bare chests touching. Her breathing quickened, causing her breasts to heave against his chest.

Adrian shifted his face away from hers and pressed a kiss in the valley of her chest. This elicited a whimper from deep within Sydney. He trailed his tongue along the tender skin before slowly taking her hardened nipple into his mouth and suckling, idly at first, but rapidly when she began to tug on the hair at the nape of his neck.

"More…"Sydney begged softly, rolling her hips up to fit against his.

Adrian hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties and pulled them down in one fell swoop. Sydney kicked at the clothing as it touched her feet. She looped a digit into Adrian's boxers and pushed them down to join her underwear on the floor.

He leaned back down against her now completely naked body and kissed her deeply, sucking her tongue into his mouth. Sydney whimpered rather loudly at the urgency Adrian was exhibiting. He slowly trailed a palm down her body, completely worshipping every bit of her until he rested his fingers at her opening.

"Adrian," she gasped out as he eased a slick finger inside her. She arched up to meet the digit. He caught her mouth with his again as he slid his finger in and out of her tight entrance. The easy pattern of kissing and touching continued until he felt a wetness forming around his fingertips.

As he eased his hand away from her she reached out and grasped him in her palm. "Fuck," she cursed when she felt how hard he was. She stroked him slowly at first, but then with much more urgency.

"Oh god…" Adrian gasped. A warm feel spread throughout his body as she jerked him in her hand. He pressed closer and closer against her palm, absolutely existing on the feeling of her.

"Want you…" Sydney whispered against his ear, her breath tickling his skin so tenderly it took all of his strength not to cum all over her hand like a horny teenager.

Adrian swallowed hard and got his bearings. He pushed himself up and away from her hand and then slowly lowered himself into her.

A shock of electricity rang through both of their bodies as they clung to one another like a second skin. Sydney didn't know where he ended and she began.

After moans of utter pleasure and strangled cries of the others name they pushed over the edge together, both panting heavily as they came down from their high. Sydney rolled onto her side and Adrian spooned her from behind.

"Just stay a few more days. I know we can make this work," Adrian whispered when he was able to speak again. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

"I wish I could. I wish everything could be fixed that easily," Sydney said softly, the reality what she had just done hitting her. All she ever did was hurt him…

"If you would tell me what happened. Why you stayed away. What I did to make you never want to see me again…" Adrian said desperately. "I'd do anything…"

"I'm the one who has to ask for your forgiveness…" Sydney said softly.

A look of confusion washed over Adrian's face. "I don't understand…" he said to her.

It was time. Sydney rolled over to face him. "I told you I left Marcus because something changed," she said.

"I understand that part," Adrian said with a slow nod of his head.

"It wasn't that my beliefs changed or his cause changed," Sydney said. She braced herself for what was about to come out next. "It was because I found out I was pregnant."

"You're joking. No. That's not possible…" Adrian said, suddenly speaking very quickly.

Sydney had to keep going before she lost her nerve. "That night we spent together…yeah, it was possible," she said softly. "I couldn't stay with Marcus. I couldn't risk the baby…"

"Did you…have the baby?" Adrian asked, half scared to death she was going to say no and half scared to death she was going to say yes.

Sydney sniffled and nodded her head yes. "A girl. With eyes as green as yours," she said softly.

Adrian ran his hands through his hair, his own eyes welling up. "A baby…that you didn't think I should know about? A daughter. Why didn't you…? What the hell is wrong with you, Sydney?" he yelled at her.

"Please, you have to understand. I had just turned my back on…" Sydney tried to explain.

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit. You chose to turn your back on the Alchemists. That was all you. Your relationship with me had NOTHING to do with that. If anything it would have been easier to be with me. You! How could you, Sydney? How could you?" Adrian demanded to know. He got to his feet and started pacing back and forth across the room.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Sydney said, leaning up in the bed. "Please, just…"

"Just what? Forgive you?" Adrian scoffed. "She has to be what…three or four years old by now? Does she even know about me?" he asked.

Sydney shook her head no. "I've never told her about you," she whispered.

Adrian stopped pacing and just stared at Sydney. "You're a real piece of work, you know that? For years Jill has been painting you as the bad guy, but I defended you. Even after you broke my heart and left all of us…I defended you. I said whatever the reason you left must have been a good one. I said Sydney always does the right thing. There must be some kind of logic behind this. I had no idea how wrong I was," Adrian said to her. "You're not brave. You're a fucking coward."

His words cut Sydney like a razorblade. She knew she deserved every last one of them, but that didn't make them hurt any less.

Before she could even try and defend herself Adrian continued. "I loved you…I love you, but I guess I'm the fool, huh? Someone like you isn't capable of love so how could I expect you to love me back?" he asked sadly. He shook his head and started to walk out of the room.

"Adrian, wait!" Sydney called after him, but it was too late…for so many different things.


	10. Chapter 10

_Okay, this is it! I cannot thank all of your enough for your support. Please check out the sequel The Heart of Life. Enjoy!_

Chapter Ten

On Sunday morning Sydney waited outside Lissa's jet for her belongings to be loaded. She had spent the night at Jill's place after her admission to Adrian.

Sydney turned and looked at Jill. "What do I do now?" she asked again, still terrified by the result of her actions.

"He needs to try to comprehend this," Jill assured her. "You did the right thing."

"Then why do I feel like this?" Sydney sniffled.

"Because love…especially true love can hurt," Jill said. "You'll stay in touch this time, right?"

Sydney nodded her head yes. "I promise. No more hiding," she said to her.

"Adrian will come around," Jill said as she leaned in to give her a hug.

"I wouldn't blame him if he didn't," Sydney said softly as she returned the hug. She peeked over Jill's shoulder. No one. Adrian wasn't coming to see her off. "Take care of him for me, will you?"

"I promise," Jill said to her. "I love you," she added softly.

"I love you too," Sydney replied. She untangled herself from Jill and after one last look boarded the aircraft.

The ride home was full of eerie quiet. Sydney had too much time to think. Her head was pounding by the time she arrived at Kenzie's place to pick up Hadley. Kenzie invited her to stay for dinner, but Sydney just wanted to go home. She had already been away for far too long.

After a quiet dinner and hearing about Hadley's adventures with Flowerpot (the dog's newest name) Sydney and her daughter curled up in bed for the night.

"I missed you," Sydney told her daughter softly as she drifted off to sleep.

"You not stay away that long again?" Hadley murmured hopefully.

"Never," she said softly and kissed her forehead. "I love you so much."

"Love you back," Hadley whispered.

Sydney laid next to her as her breathing evened out and grew heavier. As she watched her sleeping child she felt overwhelmed by all of her mistakes. How could she have deprived Adrian and Hadley of each other for all those years? She was crueler than any Strigoi. Eventually exhaustion overcame her and she fell asleep.

Life went on like nothing had happened. While she was still tired from the events of the weekend and the traveling, Hadley was a ball of energy. She was working with her crayons on the living room floor while Sydney pretended to be reading a book when there was a knock at the door.

"Who's there?" she asked as she got up to her feet.

"Delivery for Ms. Steele," the voice on the other side of the door replied.

"Delivery?" she repeated to herself. She unlocked the door and found herself face to face with Adrian's portrait of her. "There must be a mistake. I didn't order this piece…" she said in confusion.

Adrian stepped out from behind the painting. "That's why this is a special delivery," he said to her.

Sydney's breath got caught in her throat. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I want to meet her. You owe me that," Adrian replied.

"Come…in…" Sydney stammered unintelligently. She pushed the door open wider and took the painting from Adrian's hands, leaning it against the wall. "Had…" she said to her daughter as Adrian stepped inside. "There's someone I want you come say hi to."

Hadley obediently put down her art work and walked over to her mother's side. "Hadley, this is Adrian. Adrian, this is Hadley," Sydney said softly.

Adrian swallowed a few times as he knelt down to Hadley's level. "Hi, it's very nice to meet you," he said softly, somewhat in awe.

"Hi," Hadley said with a smile. "Did you makes that?" she asked, nodding at the painting.

"I did," Adrian replied. "Do you draw too?" he asked, nodding at her crayons.

"Uh huh. Wanna see?" Hadley asked him with a grin.

He nodded his head yes. "I'd love to," Adrian replied.

Hadley slipped her hand into his and led him over to the coffee table. Sydney leaned back against the door and thought about Lissa, Christian, and their daughter…and how happy they had been that night. Maybe…just maybe she hadn't ruined everything.

Adrian and Hadley spent the rest of the afternoon talking and drawing next to each other on the floor. They stopped only to eat and then again when it was time for Hadley to go to sleep. As much as she liked her new friend Sydney was the one to put their daughter to bed. When she emerged from Hadley's room she found Adrian sitting on the couch.

"Are you staying?" Sydney asked him, keeping her distance and leaning in the doorway.

"I think so," Adrian said, looking up to meet her eyes.

"I can't believe you came…after everything I did," Sydney said to him, holding his gaze.

"I came for her. I can't not know her," Adrian said softly. "I'm mad at you for what you did, but…I know you and I know you only did what you thought was right."

"But it wasn't right. I think I always knew that," Sydney whispered in reply.

"People make mistakes. No one is perfect," Adrian said.

"This was more than a mistake, Adrian," Sydney insisted.

"You can't punish yourself forever," Adrian said, standing up and walking over to her. "And I'm not going to either."

"What happens now?" Sydney said, breathing him in. He was only inches away from her.

Adrian responded with a soft kiss. "Now we begin our lives together…as a family. And believe me when I say I am not letting you go," he told her.

She returned the kiss and threw her arms around him. "I love you so much," she murmured into his neck.

"I love you too," Adrian responded, holding onto her tightly.

...

"One more present," Hadley said with a grin.

"One more?" Sydney asked in confusion. She looked around at the wrapping paper that littered the restaurant table. The threesome was celebrating Sydney's birthday. "There's no more boxes, Had."

"Daddy says one more," Hadley insisted.

"She's right," Adrian said with a grin. He bent down and settled Hadley on his knee. "Alright, just like we practiced. One, two, three…" Hadley pulled a necklace with a diamond ring on it from underneath the neck of her dress. "Will you marry me?" the two asked in unison.

Sydney's hand went up to her mouth. Tears starting streaming down her cheeks as she nodded her head yes.

"I don't think it actually counts as an acceptance if you don't use your words," Adrian teased her.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Sydney said, sliding down onto the floor and wrapping her arms around both Adrian and Hadley, causing everyone to fall into a heap.

Everyone in the restaurant started applauding. Sydney could hear Perky blonde in the background saying, 'I knew it! I knew it!'

But it was Sydney that knew it. She had received the best gift ever. A family of her own.

The End


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